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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet few days with his family in Austria ahead of Christmas, rather than preparing for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth match of the campaign—a League Cup last-eight clash with Arsenal. Yet, the idea that Palace might focus on other competitions was firmly dismissed by their manager.

"Absolutely not, I do not believe that," stated Glasner following his team's side's 4-1 loss to Leeds. "If anyone informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm not the manager anymore."

There exists a clear contrast in Glasner's strategy to domestic cup tournaments compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This first was evident during Palace's run to the League Cup quarter-finals in his first full season in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had already been eliminated from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner picked his best team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight match concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having led at half-time. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner now faces the task to figure out a plan for payback against the current Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week owing to European obligations.

The Cost of Achievement and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of European football for the very first time. These pressures are taking a toll on several exhausted players, many of whom have hardly had a rest all season.

The coach deployed an completely different team, featuring four teenagers, in their final Conference League fixture. However, ahead of the Arsenal game, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to choose the bulk of his preferred side, which looked extremely jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, have to," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Selection Dilemmas

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with considerable practicality. The previous season, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly damaged their title hopes.

Arteta had made several changes for that League Cup match but was compelled to bring on his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a potential offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game winning streak against Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup encounter and a brace in a later league win before suffering a serious knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since that injury. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "touching" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.

"We're used to it," commented Arteta on the congested schedule. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to get ready. The rest until February at least is going to be similar. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be prepared."

Amid key players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal present a formidable challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive period intensifies.